Climate control cargo container for storing,transporting and preserving cargo

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a cargo container that is light weight, strong, which forms an ultra violet light, weather/dust particle barrier and which controls the climate inside the cargo container to protect the integrity of the cargo.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority and benefit of U.S. provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 61/508,425, filed Jul. 15, 2011, entitled“CLIMATE CONTROL CARGO CONTAINER FOR STORING, TRANSPORTING ANDPRESERVING CARGO”; U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No.61/551,323, filed Oct. 25, 2011, entitled “CARGO CONTAINER FOR STORINGAND TRANSPORTING CARGO”; U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No.61/551,340, filed Oct. 25, 2011, entitled “A LOAD BEARING STRUCTUREHAVING ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES”; and U.S. provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 61/590,323, filed Jan. 24, 2012, entitled “SYSTEMFOR FACILITATING SECURITY CHECK OF SHIPMENT OF CARGO”; the contents ofall of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The present application includes claims that may be related to theclaims of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/___,___,entitled “CARGO CONTAINER FOR STORING AND TRANSPORTING CARGO”;co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/___,___, entitled “A LOADBEARING STRUCTURE HAVING ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES”; and co-pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/___,___, entitled “SYSTEM FORFACILITATING SECURITY CHECK OF SHIPMENT OF CARGO”; the contents of allof which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is in the general field of load-bearing structures. Acargo container that is light weight and may be made of a polymer coresurrounded by polymer layer to form a load bearing structure and anenclosure to contain the cargo in an acclimatized environment duringtransportation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The adoption of International Standardized Phytosanitary Monitoring(ISPM)-15 for wood packaging material (WPM) requires kiln dry treatmentof all wood used in shipping crates and dunnage platforms (pallets). TheUnited States in cooperation with Mexico and Canada began enforcement ofthe ISPM 15 standard on Sep. 16, 2005. The North American PlantProtection Organization (NAPPO) strategy for enhanced enforcement willbe conducted in three phases. Phase 1, Sep. 16, 2005 through Jan. 31,2006, call for the implementation of an informed compliance via accountmanagers and notices posted in connection with cargo that containsnoncompliant WPM. Phase 2, Feb. 1, 2006 through Jul. 4, 2006, calls forrejection of violative crates and pallets through re-exportation fromNorth America. Informed compliance via account managers and noticesposted in cargo with other types of non-compliant WPM continues toremain enforce. Phase 3, Jul. 5, 2006, involves full enforcement on allarticles of regulated WPM entering North America. Non-compliantregulated WPM will not be allowed to enter the United States. Theadoption of ISPM-15 reflects the growing concern among nationsapproximately wood shipping products enabling the importation ofwood-boring insects, including the Asian Long horned Beetle, the AsianCerambycid Beetle, the Pine Wood Nematode, the Pine Wilt Nematode andthe Anoplophora Glapripwnnis.

Thus the wooden dunnage platform has become unattractive for theinternational shipment of products. Further, the wooden surface is notsanitary since it potentially can harbor in addition to insects, mouldand bacteria. Thus, the wooden crate is ill generally suited for theshipment of foodstuffs and other produce requiring sanitary conditions.In addition, with the concern for carbon emission, lighter weightplatforms and containers are more desirable.

Plastic dunnage platforms or pallets are known, see U.S. Pat. No.3,915,089 to Nania, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,608 to Woods et al., whichare herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. Plastic palletmanufacturing techniques typically involve injection molding, whichsignificantly increases the cost of the plastic pallets. In order tojustify this initial investment cost of the plastic pallet, the palletmust be extensively re-used. Thus, while the plastic surface of theplastic pallet obviates some of the sanitary problems with wood pallets,because of the required repetitive use the surface can becomeunsanitary. As a consequence when used for the shipment of foodstuffsand other produce requiring sanitary conditions, the high cost of theplastic pallet requires that the plastic surface be cleaned and keptclean prior to use.

Some wood pallet manufacturers have attempted to produce a more sanitarysurface by combining foam with wooden surfaces. These dunnage platformsstill suffer a number of disadvantages including their weight, thepresence of wood requiring kiln treatment and the possibility of thefoam being stripped away to expose the wood surface.

Thermoplastic molded dunnage platforms are known. U.S. Pat. Nos.6,786,992, 7,128,797, 7,927,677, 7,611,596, 7,923,087, and 7,544,262, toDummett, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety,discloses applying thermoplastic sheets to a preformed rigid structurefor manufacturing dunnage platforms.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,689,481 discloses a dunnage platform bag and system ofloading, dispensing and using the bag, which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,963,397 discloses a modular knock-down, light weightcargo container, which is herein incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

Omsk is a city at the junction between the northern and southernbranches of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Dramatic swings in weather areoften experienced with average daily temperatures in July as low as 19°C. Temperatures in Omsk can reach 45° C. (113° F.) in summer and drop to−45° C. (−49° F.) in winter. In some isolated regions, airportfacilities for rapid air cargo transport are often not available.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to containers for shipping and/or storageof cargo in which the climate within the container is controlled.Shipping can be by ground or by air.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, cargo being shipped orstored may be damaged by exposure to temperatures that are too low ortoo high. For example, there is a need to keep the cargo cool when beingshipped and/or stored in a hot climate. For another example, there is aneed to keep the cargo warm when being shipped and/or stored in a coolor cold climate. There is also a need to keep the cargo in a certaintemperature range when being shipped and/or stored alternately in a cooland a warm climate. The temperature change may be due not only tolocation, but also the time of day, for example, the difference betweennight and day, or early morning and mid-day or afternoon. In anembodiment of the invention, the cargo container may include materialsto provide climate control, for example, gaseous, solid or liquidmaterials which may cool, melt or becomes gaseous or phase change tocontrol the temperature. In an embodiment of the invention, phase changematerial(s) are included in the cargo container to keep the contentscool in a hot climate. In another embodiment of the invention, phasechange material(s) are included in the cargo container to keep thecontents warm in a cool or cold climate. Examples of cargo include food,pharmaceuticals, prescription and off label drugs, electronicsequipment, computer parts, batteries and other articles that includechemicals that are temperature sensitive.

In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, contents of shipmentsor storage that need to be kept above a certain temperature range, forexample, above freezing, the shipping or storage container may includematerials to provide climate control, for example, gaseous, solid orliquid materials which may liquefy, solidify or phase change to keep thecontents warm or from getting too cold. This may happen if materials areto be shipped over, for example, trans-Siberian, on a rail system.Examples of contents may include energy storage devices, batteries,electronics, computer parts, electronic circuits, memory storagedevices, electronic chips, food stuff, pharmaceuticals and any otherarticles that need to be kept form getting too cold.

The container may also be capable of multiple cycles of changes oftemperature, for example, from cold to warm and from warm to cold, orfrom hot to warm and from warm to cold.

In an embodiment of the invention, a cargo container is disclosed thatis light weight, strong, made of insulating thermoplastic polymers andcontaining phase change materials to protect the cargo from extremes intemperature. In another embodiment of the invention, a cargo containeris disclosed that is light weight, strong, made of insulatingthermoplastic polymers and containing phase change materials to protectthe cargo from temperatures between, for example, −2° C. and −50° C.

In another embodiment of the invention, a cargo container is disclosedthat is light weight, strong, made of insulating thermoplastic polymersand containing phase change materials to protect the cargo fromtemperatures between 30° C. and 50° C.

In a different embodiment of the invention, a cargo container isdisclosed that is light weight, strong, made of insulating thermoplasticpolymers and containing phase change materials to protect the cargo fromtemperatures between −5° C. and 40° C.

Phase change materials or combinations of different phase changematerials may be suitable for protecting a cargo in a limited confinedspace over broad ranges of temperatures. A phase change material (PCM),is a substance generally having a high heat of fusion, i.e., whenconverting from a solid phase to a liquid phase or when converting froma liquid phase to a solid phase at a certain temperature, the PCM maystore or release large amounts of energy. the energy released may be inthe form of heat absorbed or released. Thus, the PCM may release heatwhen the material changes from solid to liquid phase in order to keepthe interior of the cargo container above the outside ambienttemperature.

Latent heat storage may be achieved through solid-solid, solid-liquid,solid-gas and liquid-gas phase change. A substance exhibitingsolid-liquid phase change may be convenient and easy to manage.Liquid-gas phase changes may have a higher heat of transformation thansolid-liquid transitions. Typically, liquid-gas phase change transitionsare less practical for use as thermal storage devices as large volumesor high pressures may be required to store the materials. However, whenused with cargo containers the volume constraint may be less relevant.Solid-solid phase changes are typically very slow and may also have arather low heat of transformation.

For shipment or storage of materials that need to be kept cool duringshipping, the solid-liquid PCMs are suitable heat storage materials. Asthe temperature rises, they absorb heat and when their temperaturereaches the temperature at which the change phase occurs (their meltingtemperature) they absorb large amounts of heat at an almost constanttemperature. This process continues without a significant rise intemperature until all the material is transformed to the liquid phase.When the ambient temperature around a liquid material falls, the PCMsolidifies, releasing its stored latent heat. Thus, the PCMs not onlyhelp to keep the contents of any storage or shipment cool, but may alsohelp to keep the contents from falling below a certain temperature.Thus, PCMs may self-recycle for an almost infinite number of cycles andare advantageous for shipments that may encounter numerous temperaturecycles.

There are numerous PCMs available in a required temperature range from−5° C. up to 190° C. that may be useful. Within the most common range of20° C. to 30° C., some PCMs are very effective heat storage devices asthey may store 5 to 14 times more heat per unit volume than conventionalstorage materials such as water, masonry or rock.

Phase change materials with different characteristics may also be usedsimultaneously in the same cargo container to handle differenttemperature zone changes while shipping over a long distance. Forexample, a first phase change material may change phase around freezingtemperature while a second phase change material may change phase belowfreezing temperatures. The containers may also include a third phasechange materials that may change phase above freezing temperature.

The advantages of using PCMs for the present applications are that onemay pack into the cargo container PCMs for any temperature requirementneeded at various times without any concern that one material willinterfere with the function of another. Thus, customization of energycontrol and temperature regulation is possible.

The phase change materials may be contained or packed in separatecontainers, for example, flexible or non-flexible plastic containers orpouches, or metalized containers or pouches, or combinations thereof.The containers may be of any shape and size. Metalized containers may bemade of metal or made of plastic containers having metallic coatings forbetter heat conduction. When used in air freight and if facilitatingsecurity check of air cargo transport of cargo is desirable, containersthat are transparent to magnetic scanners, such as non-metal containers,may be used, as further discussed below.

As phase change materials may perform better in smaller containers, thecontainers may be further divided into cells or separate smallercontainers may be desirable. The cells may be shallow to reduce statichead based on the principle of shallow container geometry. That is, thecells may be shallow to minimize pressure exerted by the PCM. Thepackaging material may be chosen to be an excellent conductor of heat.The packaging material may be durable enough to withstand frequentchanges in the PCM volume as phase changes occur. The packaging materialmay restrict the passage of water through the walls, so the materialswill not dry out (or water-out, if the material is hygroscopic) and toresist leakage and corrosion. Common packaging materials showingchemical compatibility with room temperature PCMs include stainlesssteel, metalized films, polypropylene, polyethylene and otherpolyolefins, polyesters, combinations and other similar materials to bediscussed below. As mentioned above, when used in facilitating securitycheck of air cargo transport of cargo that is transparent to magneticscanners, non-metal containers may be used.

The pouches may generally be made of impervious materials, which mayinclude commonly known polymeric materials including polyolefins, suchas polyethylene, polypropylene, amorphous polyolefins such as Vestoplast703™ (Huls), metallocene polyolefins, and the like.

These containers or pouches of phase change materials may be placed invarious places in the cargo container, including the base, top and sidewalls. They may even be placed in contact with or in close proximity tothe cargo item to be protected from temperature changes, inside theirpackaging, similar to desiccant pouches. The phase change materials intheir own packaging may also be arranged in layers. For example, flat,thin pouches may be stacked one on top of another or side by side. Thepouches may have PCMs with same or different temperature properties.Thus, the phase change may occur in stages to provide custom protectionfor the contents being shipped or stored.

In an embodiment of the present invention, PCMs may be incorporated intothe cargo container during construction of the container. In analternative embodiment of the present invention, PCMs may beincorporated into the cargo container during assembly of the parts ofthe container.

In an embodiment of the present invention, customized temperaturecontrol may be possible with phase change materials when heat may beabsorbed from, or released to, keep the contents of the cargo containerwithin a specified range during transportation.

When transporting temperature critical cargo items that may be difficultto discern its integrity without subjecting it to partially orsubstantially destructive testing, somewhat difficult or expensivetesting, the cargo item its is own packaging with phase change incontact or in close proximity may also include a critical temperatureindicator, which may be used to indicate if the temperature has beenreached and thus if the integrity of the cargo item has been breached.The indicator may be presented on the outside of the packaging material.

For some materials, both temperature and time can be critical. Someindicators may indicate time as well as temperature. Some may evenindicate the history of temperature exposure.

Cargo containers may be of square, polygonal or clam shell shaped. Theparts forming the container may include a core and a layer of film orother applied coating material covering the core. Examples of usefulcontainers may include a ‘knock down’ or collapsible container structurefor storage and/or shipping cargo having a base, four load containingstructures, for example, four walls, extending therefrom and a top panelto form, for example, a closed enclosure therein, each of which havingan inside surface, an outside surface, a width joining the inside andoutside surfaces, and four inside edges and four outside edges. Thecontainer when collapsed or ‘knocked-down’ has a foot print not largerthan the foot print of the largest individual component of thestructure.

In one embodiment, the container may include those disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 7,963,397, a modular knock-down, light weight cargo container,which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

In another embodiment of the invention, each of the base, four walls andtop includes a continuous feature extending substantially along asurface no more than approximately 80 percent, of any of the four insideedges of the walls, base and top of each of the components of thecontainer, the features on adjacent members are of opposite interlockingcharacteristics. That is, if an edge has a groove, the groove is lessthan 80 per cent of the length of the edge; or each of the base, fourwalls and top includes a continuous feature extending substantiallyalong a surface no more than approximately 90 percent of any of the fourinside edges of the walls, base and top of each of the components of thecontainer, the features on adjacent members are of opposite interlockingcharacteristics. That is, if an edge has a groove, the groove is lessthan 90 per cent of the length of the edge.

Some components of the container may include dunnage platforms and thoseuseful for assembling may include interconnecting or interlockingfeatures or characteristics which mate together to form a container.

Interlocking or interconnecting features or characteristics may also bedefined as a depression in a wall of a container corresponding to aprotrusion in the cargo such that the container ‘mates’ with the cargowithout requiring a fastener. Interlocking characteristics may includerespective depression and protrusion features on adjacent connectingcomponents. For example, when the features along one side have areceiving characteristic, the features on the adjacent member are of aprotruding characteristic so that the interlocking features mate to forma container without any aid from additional clips or fasteners. Thephrase ‘without requiring a fastener’ means that the interlockingfeatures are interlocked without the aid of any component that is notthe base, the four walls or the top. Additional securing devices may beemployed to insure further integrity of the container, if needed, andsuch additional securing devices may include straps and/or shrink wrappackaging. The shrink wrap process may also aid in protecting theintegrity of the content from tampering, further aiding to facilitatethe security checking process, if desired.

According to one embodiment, each of the walls, top and base of thecontainer described above may be made of a light weight coresubstantially covered with a polymeric layer, for example, a high impactsheet or coating on at least one of its surfaces to form a load bearingstructure having a width as noted above. According to anotherembodiment, a structural metal mesh may be inserted into the core toresist piercing of the surface, when not intended to be used infacilitating security check. According to a further embodiment, one ormore of the walls, top and base portions may be made by injecting apolymer into a mold to form the core and after removing the core fromthe mold spraying a polymer coating on the polymer core. For example,liquid polyurethane may be injected into a mold to form a polyurethanecore containing grooves, protrusions and/or pockets, for example, forlocating phase change materials, which after curing is removed from themold and sprayed with polyurea to form one or more of the load bearingstructures. Using this molding process, size and shape may be easilyvaried.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the container may includetwo halves, each having a substantially L-shaped cross-section. In oneembodiment of the invention, the container may include two identical ormirror images L-shaped cross-section halves each having at least twowalls and a base or top component, each of the components havingcorresponding interlocking features to be mated together to form acontainer having for example, a closed enclosure therein.

In still another embodiment of the invention, the container includes twohalves, such as clam shell halves, in mirror images, each having atleast two walls and a base or top component, each of the componentshaving corresponding interlocking features to be mated together to forma container having for example, a closed enclosure therein. Each of thehalves having an inner surface and an outer surface joined by a width.

The footprint of the knock-down or collapsed container is not largerthan the footprint of each of the L-shaped halves or clam shell halves.

According to one embodiment, each half is made of an inner light weightcore covered by at least one layer of strengthened coating. According toanother embodiment, a structural metal mesh may be inserted into thecore to resist piercing of the surface. According to a furtherembodiment, one or more of the L-shaped or clam shell halves may be madeby injecting a polymer into a mold to form the core and after removingthe core from the mold, spraying a polymer coating on the polymer core.For example, liquid polyurethane may be injected into a mold to form apolyurethane core containing grooves, protrusions and/or pockets whichafter curing may be removed from the mold and sprayed with polyurea toform one or more of the load bearing structure and the half enclosures.The interlocking features may include respective depression andprotrusion features on adjacent connecting components.

In one exemplary embodiment, containers for shipping and/or storage ofcargo may have one or more antimicrobial agents to afford antimicrobialproperties. The antimicrobial agents may be present on any exposedsurfaces of the containers and/or any additional structures. The agentsare capable of eliminating, preventing, retarding or minimizing thegrowth of microbes and also minimizing cross-contamination when thestructure is being reused for cargos that are different from previouscargo, for example, different food types, such as poultry, freshvegetables, and fresh fruits.

In another exemplary embodiment, the cargo container is a modular,lightweight, strong, container that may be used for facilitatingsecurity check of air freight cargo for shipping at the airport.

In further exemplary embodiment, the cargo container is a modular,lightweight, strong, container that may be in clean rooms for themanufacturing of electronic parts, snacks, food products or similarproducts that have to be kept clean from dust, dirt or microbes. Theproducts are placed directly on the structure after having been made,thus eliminating steps, saving time, minimizing manpower or robotics,and/or risk of contamination or damage.

In any of the embodiments, the antimicrobial properties, if present, maybe generated from materials including chemical anti-microbial materialsor compounds that are capable of being substantially permanently bonded,at least for a period such as the useful life of the load bearingstructures, or maintain their anti-microbial effects when coated withthe aid of coating agents, onto the exposed surfaces of the container,either when at least one antimicrobial agent is added to the materialused for making the polymeric layer, for example, a sheet or sprayedcoating mentioned above, or when at least one antimicrobial agent havingsome surface activity is coated onto the exposed surface of thepolymeric layer, for example, sheet or sprayed coating mentioned above;or maintain their anti-microbial effects when at least one antimicrobialagent is coated with the aid of coating agents, onto the exposed surfaceof the polymeric layer, for example, sheet or sprayed coating mentionedabove. In one example, the chemicals may be deposited on the surface ofthe loading bearing structures by covalent linkage.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the contents may besurrounded by traditional insulating materials. In another embodiment ofthe present invention, the outside of the cargo container may be sealedto isolate the cargo container from the outside atmosphere. In adifferent embodiment of the present invention, Styrofoam may be packedaround the outside of the container prior to sealing the cargocontainer. In a further embodiment of the present invention, two or moreenclosures may be used to insulate the container interior withadditional PCMs inside each enclosure. In yet a further embodiment, abag-like enclosure may also be used, to be further discussed below.

In addition to climate control concerns, shipping by air has additionalconcerns. Though the time cargos spent in air flight is shorter thanother forms of transportation, like passengers and their luggage, needto go through airport security before boarding, the airfreight shipmentsalso has to undergo security scans. Some shippers and loaders have beencertified to scan cargo at the airport prior to loading onto anairplane. The large X-ray scanners are expensive and bulky. Smallerscanners are less expensive, but the cargo packed on them need to beunload or unpack to utilize such smaller scanners. Thus, cargo goingthrough security check can be cumbersome and time consuming. In additionto time and man-power cost, some cargo may sustained damage and/or bemisplaced. With perishables, time and disturbances such as loading andunloading may increase the possibility of damage. Thus, to facilitatesecurity check, containers used in shipping cargo and for containing thephase change material may also be made of material that is transparentto the scanners.

The present invention also discloses a system designed to facilitate thesecurity checking process, including a light weight load bearingstructure for loading perishable or non-perishable cargo, the loadbearing structure having a top deck, a bottom deck and a width joiningthe top and the bottom, the bottom deck having a plurality of legsextending therefrom and the cargo is loaded onto the top deck of theload bearing structure; and a bag-like enclosure for covering the cargoand at least a portion of the width of the load bearing structure, withthe bag-like enclosure having an opening with an elastic property aboutits circumference for stretching about the width of the load bearingstructure. The load bearing structure and bag-like enclosure in thisconfiguration are both transparent to magnetic imaging scanners used insecurity scanning to facilitate the security check of perishable cargoor non-perishable cargo, large or small, without the need for unloadingand reloading of the cargo from the load bearing structure.

The package may be tagged with identification tags, similar to thoseused in transporting passenger check-in bags, or it may also be taggedwith an RFID tags. In an embodiment of the invention, RFID tags may beinserted into the core during formation of the core, or prior to coatingthe core with the thermoplastic layer. In another embodiment of theinvention, RFID tags may be inserted both into the core and placed onthe bag-like enclosure to insure the integrity of the cargo. This mayfurther improve the security of the cargo. In a further embodiment, theRFID tags may be inserted into the core, placed on the bag-likeenclosure and/or the shrink wrap, if present, to insure the integrity ofthe cargo. Other embodiments of the cargo container and methods for itsuse, within the spirit and scope of the invention, may be understood bya review of the specification, the claims, and the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A shows a line drawing of FIG. 1C the cargo carrier dunnageplatform with pockets for locating phase change materials and FIG. 1B aline drawing of in profile, according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a line drawing of the underneath side of the cargo carrierdunnage platform 2A with legs protruding and 2B in profile, according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a line drawing of the empty cargo carrier dunnage platformwith a half enclosure positioned on the cargo carrier dunnage platform,according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3A shows a line drawing of the cargo carrier dunnage platform ofFIG. 3B with phase change material containers positioned in pockets;

FIG. 4 shows a line drawing of the loaded cargo carrier dunnage platformwith a half enclosure positioned on the cargo carrier dunnage platform,according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5A shows a line drawing of 5B the fully enclosed cargo carrierdunnage platform with the enclosure positioned on the cargo carrierdunnage platform, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows an L-shaped half of an embodiment of the container havingfeatures for locating cargo or partitions;

FIG. 6A show a full view of the inside bottom of an embodiment of thecontainer of the present invention having features for locating cargo orpartitions;

FIG. 7 shows fully assembled container of an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7A shows an L-shaped half of an embodiment of the container havingfeatures for locating cargo;

FIGS. 8A-E show another embodiment of a container of the presentinvention in various stages of assembly, depicting the interconnectingfeatures;

FIG. 9 shows a line drawing of the empty cargo carrier dunnage platformwith a half enclosure positioned on the cargo carrier dunnage platform,according to another embodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 10 and 10A show the embodiment of the present invention with anadditional enclosure in various stages of being installed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description ofthe presently exemplified embodiments of the present invention and isnot intended to represent the only forms in which the present inventionmay be prepared or utilized. The description sets forth the features andthe steps for practicing the present invention. However, it is to beunderstood that the same or equivalent functions and components may beaccomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to beencompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods, devicesand materials similar or equivalent to those described herein may beused in the practice or testing of the invention, the exemplifiedmethods, devices and materials are now described.

A load bearing structure is an article designed to store or transport aload and may include a dunnage platform or pallet.

An enclosure is an article designed to enclose a cargo loaded onto aload bearing structure so that the cargo container interior may beisolated from the cargo container exterior. The enclosure may be made upof two half enclosures (as in clam shells) or multiple components, asshown in FIG. 3 or 6, or multiple panels such as multiple dunnageplatforms, as shown in FIG. 8C.

Approximately when used with temperatures expressed to one significantfigure can include a range between + and − two (2) degrees.Approximately when used with temperatures expressed to two significantfigure can include a range between + and − five (5) degrees.Approximately when used with specific heats expressed to two significantfigure can include a range between + and − zero point two (0.2). Thecontainers may be suitable for storage or transporting of food,pharmaceuticals, prescription and off label drugs, electronicsequipment, computer parts, batteries and other articles that includechemicals that are or are not temperature sensitive.

Climate control is used to describe the use of chemical and/or physicalproperties of substances to alter the atmosphere inside the cargocontainer relative to the atmosphere outside the cargo container.

The enclosure may be an undivided compartment, as shown in FIG. 8, ormay be divided into multiple compartments (not specifically shown), eachcompartment may be suitable for storage or transport of cargos withdifferent characteristics. In one aspect, one compartment may haveclimate control while the rest of the compartment may not. In anotheraspect, one compartment may be padded for extra shock protection whilethe rest may not. In yet another aspect, a compartment may be sized fora specific article while another compartment may be sized for adifferent article. In general, any of the exposed surfaces may haveanti-microbial properties.

In an embodiment of the invention, the cargo container may be a modular,lightweight, strong container that may include any or all of theproperties stated below: ultra violet light insulating, tamperresistant, receptacle for insulating, preserving, facilitating securitycheck, or tracking and transporting cargo. In an embodiment of theinvention, the cargo container may be a modular, lightweight, strong,ultra violet light insulating, tamper resistant load bearing structurewith enclosure for insulating, preserving, tracking and transportingcargo. In one embodiment of the invention, the cargo container is amodular, lightweight, strong, container that may be ultra violet lightinsulating, tamper resistant dunnage platform with enclosure forinsulating, preserving, tracking and transporting cargo. These cargocontainers may include two halves or plurality of dunnage platforms orload bearing structures, as shown in the figures, for example, FIGS. 3,6 and 9.

FIGS. 1-5 depict embodiments of the cargo carrier in which a loadingbearing structure, such as a dunnage platform with pockets for locatingphase change materials is integrally attached to an enclosure to sealand preserve the cargo. In FIG. 1A and C a dunnage platform 100 is shownwith a top surface 115 and edges 110. The top surface 115 is used todenote both a polymeric layer or sheet or just the top surface of thecore without a polymeric layer or sheet. The dunnage platform 100 shownin FIG. 1A has six (6) pockets 125 and two (2) grooves or recesses 130penetrating the top surface 115, each of which may extend into the core(not shown) of the dunnage platform. In an embodiment of the invention,the pockets 125 may be used to locate phase change materials. In anembodiment of the invention, the grooves or recesses 130 are used tolocate one or more enclosures. In FIG. 1B the profile of the dunnageplatform 100 is shown where legs 145, 150 and 155 extend from the bottomsurface 170 of the dunnage platform 100. In FIG. 2A the underneath ofthe dunnage platform 100 is shown where legs 145, 150, 155, 240, 245,250, 255, 260 and 265 extend from the bottom surface 170 and togetherwith the edge of dunnage platform 110 make up the height of the dunnageplatform 100.

The load bearing structures may also include a plurality of wearresistant members that may be affixed to the second side of at leastsome of the legs of all of the embodiments of loading bearing structuresdescribed herein. Details of the wear resistant members may be found inU.S. Pat. Nos. 7,908,979, and 5,868,080, the contents of all of whichare hereby incorporated by reference.

These wear resistant members may be similar to bridges that extendbetween adjacent legs. In some embodiments, only one of these membersmay be present. In other embodiments, two of these may be arranged inthe shape of a cross. In further embodiments, one of each may beattached to each pair of adjacent legs around the peripheral of the loadbearing structure. In still other embodiments, they may be attached toevery pair of legs of the load bearing structure.

In FIG. 2B, the profile of the dunnage platform 100 is shown where legs145, 150 and 155 extend from the bottom surface 170 of the dunnageplatform 100. In FIG. 3 a first half enclosure 380 is located on thedunnage platform using the groove or recess 130, where the pockets forlocating the phase change material 125 are located interior to the firsthalf enclosure 380. The half enclosure 380 has a corresponding featureto mate with the groove or recess 130. FIGS. 3A (a line drawing of 3B)and B show the cargo carrier dunnage platform with phase change materialcontainers or pouches 125 a positioned in pockets 125 and a halfenclosure positioned on the cargo carrier dunnage platform, according toan embodiment of the invention. These containers or pouches are shownhere in substantially rectangular form, but they may be in other forms.Also, the pouches may be located in other locations inside the cargocontainer including in contact or in close proximity to the cargo itemto be protected from temperature changes, or inside the packaging of thecargo item, similar to placement of desiccant pouches. As mentionedbefore, the thinner and/or smaller the pouches for containing phasechange materials, the better the effects exhibited by the phase changematerials.

Phase change materials may include organic materials, inorganicmaterials, their acids and their salts. Organic materials have their ownadvantages and disadvantages. Of the organic PCMs, most may be exposedto air, have wider ranges of melting temperatures. However, organic PCMsmay be flammable, combustible and may have lower specific heat.Inorganic materials also have their own advantages and disadvantages.Inorganic salts often may have to be enclosed or encapsulated to preventor minimize water evaporation or uptake. Inorganic PCMs generally havehigher specific heats than organic PCMs. Combining organic PCMs andinorganic PCM may have advantages for certain applications. If the phasechange materials are correctly utilized, some of the disadvantages maybecome an advantage for certain applications.

Both organic PCMs and inorganic PCMs may be used in their pure form,combined or may be formulated with other substances to expand theusefulness over extreme temperature ranges.

Common organic PCMs include paraffin waxes, 2,2-dimethyl-n-docosane(C₂₄H₅₀), trimyristin, ((C₁₃H₂₇COO)₃C₃H₃), 1,3-methyl pentacosane(C₂₆H₅₄), other polyethylene waxes, ethylene-bis-stearamide,N,N-ethylene-bis-stearamide, which may be used alone or in mixturesthereof. Common inorganic PCMs include anhydrous sodium acetate, sodiumacetate solutions, hydrated salts including sodium hydrogen phosphatedodecahydrate (Na₂HPO₄.12H₂O), sodium sulfate decahydrate(Na₂SO₄.10H₂O), ferric chloride hexahydrate (FeCl₃.6H₂O), TH29 (ahydrated salt having a melting temperature of 29° C., available fromTEAP Energy of Wangara, Australia), Sodium Sulfate Decahydrate, whichmay be used alone or in mixtures thereof. Other inorganic PCMs includemetallic alloys, such as Ostalloy 117 or UM47 (available from UmicoreElectro-Optic Materials).

The most commonly used PCMs are salt hydrates, fatty acids and esters,various paraffins (such as octadecane), though ionic liquids may bepossible.

Eutectic or near eutectic mixtures may be formed. Examples include saltsolutions, ethylene diamine mixed with a noncorrosive material ormaterials such as dimethyl sulfoxide and/or dimethyl sulfone and/or H2O,and/or paraffin mixed with detergent (to permit the paraffin to dissolvein the ethylene diamine), and/or phenyl salicylate, and ethylene diaminesolutions in dimethyl sulfone (DMSO). Some of these mixtures may havemelting temperatures below approximately 5° C. to approximately −23° C.More details may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,028, the contents ofwhich is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.

In an embodiment of the invention, PCMs suitable for keeping contentscool may be solids at ambient temperature, having melting points betweenapproximately 30° C. and approximately 50° C. Further, eutectic or neareutectic mixtures may be formed.

In an embodiment of the invention, PCMs suitable for keeping contentscool may be solids at ambient temperature, having melting points betweenapproximately 35° C. and approximately 45° C. Other examples, such asthose solids with a low melting point, for example, freeze salts may besuitable for keeping contents from being subjected to temperatures thatare too cold for the content and/or from freezing.

In general, a higher specific heat may be advantageous, for example, aspecific heat of at least approximately 1.5. In an embodiment of theinvention, PCMs for keeping contents cool may have a high specific heat,for example, at least approximately 1.7. In an embodiment of theinvention, PCMs, when they are in the state at ambient temperature, mayhave a specific heat at least approximately 1.9. In an embodiment of theinvention, PCMs, when they are in the state at the elevated temperaturesmay have a specific heat of at least approximately 1.6.

In an embodiment of the invention, PCMs with a high specific heat mayalso be advantageous for keeping the contents from being too cold and/orfrom freezing.

In general, small volume changes on phase transformation and low vaporpressure changes at operating temperatures to reduce the containmentproblem may also be advantageous.

Phase change materials present many suitable options for customizedclimate control. For each application, a material, a mixture ofmaterials or a formulated material having the desired meltingtemperature range in the desired operating temperature range may bechosen along with other desirable properties.

In addition to containment of phase change materials as previouslydiscussed, encapsulation of PCMs may also be possible, not only forcontainment, but for increased flexibility and property improvement. Forexample, micro-encapsulation may allow PCMs to be incorporated intoconstruction materials. Micro-encapsulated PCMs includes coating amicroscopic sized PCM with a protective coating. In this form, inorganicPCMs may be transformed into material that may be exposed to air orwater, or be transformed from being hygroscopic to non-hygroscopic.Molecular-encapsulation is another technology, developed by Dupont deNemours that may enclose a very high concentration of PCM within apolymer compound. Molecular-encapsulation allows drilling and cuttingthrough the material without any PCM leakage.

As noted above, combinations of phase change materials (PCMs) and other(usually solid) structures are generally possible. In an embodiment ofthe invention, metallic alloys, may be better thermal conductors thanother phase change materials even though their heat of fusion are low.Thus a mixture of a metallic alloy with one or more of the otherinorganic or organic phase change materials may be used to increase heatconductivity within the phase change material. A simple example is acopper-mesh immersed in a paraffin-wax. The copper-mesh withinparaffin-wax may be considered a composite material. Such a compositealso adds increased thermal conductivity to the PCMs. Such compositesmay include using fiber-glass or Kevlar-pre-preg and a matrix. Thematrix may be any adhesive which may solidify to hold fibers togetherand provide compressive strength. For use in facilitating securitycheck, metallic materials are not included.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the PCM material, either inpure form, in mixtures, or in encapsulated form may be held in the cargocontainer. In an embodiment of the present invention, the PCM materialmay be included in compartments in the foam used for the construction ofthe container, similar to that as shown in FIG. 1, where the structureis the core prior to any coating or combination with a layer or sheetmaterial. In an embodiment of the present invention, the PCM materialmay be added to the foam used for the construction of the container.

Some of the phase change materials mentioned above may be recyclable inthat they may undergo phase changes for an almost infinite number oftimes. Others may be more endothermic agents and thus may have a limitedlife cycle unless handled under a controlled environment. Theseendothermic agents may lose their effectiveness as a phase changematerial even when handled under a controlled environment. In anembodiment of the present invention, even the limited life cycle PCM maybe useful for cargo containers.

In other embodiments, phase change materials themselves, whether in pureform, encapsulated, or in combinations of different phase changematerial, may be enclosed in small and/or thin containers or pouches, asnoted above, Separate containers, for example, flexible or non-flexibleplastic containers or pouches, or metalized containers or pouches, orcombinations, may be used for each phase change material or forcombinations of different phase change materials thereof. The containersmay be of any shape and size. Metalized containers may be made of metalor made of plastic containers having metallic coatings for better heatconduction. When used in air freight and if facilitating security checkof air cargo transport of cargo is desirable, containers that aretransparent to magnetic scanners, such as non-metal containers, may beused.

These containers or pouches are generally of shallow design, each ofwhich may be further divided into cells. The cells may again be shallowto reduce static head based on the principle of shallow containergeometry, as mentioned before. These small cells may be present invarious parts of the cargo container 500, 600 or 800, as discussed abovein various FIGS, as discussed above. They may also be placed next to anyitems of the cargo or in a form to conform with the shape and size ofthe cargo item, as noted above concerning customization. When present insuch forms, heat conductivity of the sheet or film materials for makingthe cells may not also be as important as for larger containers orpouches. Cargo items in contact or in close proximity with small poucheshaving phase change materials may further be enclosed with moisturepermeable or breathable material. Examples of packaging materials thatare breathable to allow vapor transmission may be found in U.S. Pat. No.7,405,009, the contents of which are incorporated hereby by reference inits entirety. Another example of the material may be a multicomponentfilm structure, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,783, or anon-woven fabric laminate, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,482,765, or a breathable film layer as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,432,547, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference inits entirety.

For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,405,009 discloses a film ofethylene copolymer, such as ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylenen-butylacrylate carbon monoxide copolymer, ethylene vinyl acetate carbonmonoxide copolymer, and combinations thereof, exhibits a good moisturevapor transmission rate.

Biodegradable, breathable material may also be useful and example isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,910,645, the contents of all of which arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. These packagingcontainers are also amenable to facilitating security check.

In an embodiment of the invention, PCMs are combined with hygroscopicsubstances to control the humidity in the container. Examples ofhygroscopic materials include calcium chloride, zinc chloride, potassiumhydroxide, sodium hydroxide, sodium chloride, sodium iodide, andanhydrous copper sulfate.

PCMs and hygroscopic substances may be enclosed in flexible plasticenclosures. In various embodiments of the invention, the flexibleplastic enclosures are made of one or more materials similar to theimperious materials mentioned above. The plastic enclosures may also beselected from the group consisting of cellulose film, polyvinyl chloridefilm, polyvinylidene chloride film, low density polyethylene film,linear low density polyethylene film and copolymer films that includepolyisobutene and/or polyethylene-vinylacetate.

FIG. 4 shows the cargo 490 loaded on the dunnage platform with the firsthalf enclosure 380 located using the groove or recess 130. In FIGS. 5and 5B the cargo is enclosed using a second half enclosure 380 locatedon the dunnage platform using the groove or recess 130 to form the cargocontainer 500. In an embodiment of the invention, the first halfenclosure and the second half enclosure are identical and may beinterchanged by rotating by 180 degrees around a central axisperpendicular to the plane of the dunnage platform and are thereforedescribed as symmetrical.

In various embodiments of the invention described above or below, acargo carrier 100 includes an enclosure with pockets 125 for locatingphase change materials which is integrally attached to a dunnageplatform 100. In an embodiment of the invention, the dimensions of thedunnage platform 100 may be approximately 1319 mm×1116 mm×165 mm. In anembodiment of the invention, the exterior dimensions of the enclosuremay be approximately 380, 583 are 1319 mm×1116 mm×1574 mm. In anembodiment of the invention, the interior dimensions of the enclosuremay be approximately 380, 583 may be approximately 1219 mm×1016 mm×1524mm. In various embodiments of the invention, it will be understood bypersons having skill in the art that the use of the term ‘approximately’when used together with dimensions that indicate a range may vary by upto 50% of the range and the above measurements are only given as anexample. Many other dimensions for custom-fitting cargo items may beused.

In an embodiment of the invention, a corresponding protrusion (notspecifically shown here, but similar to 841 in FIG. 8 b) extending froma first or a second enclosure 380, 585, as shown in FIG. 5, may beinserted into a groove or recess 130 in a dunnage platform surface 115to locate the enclosure 380, 585 on the dunnage platform 100. In anembodiment of the invention, a clasp (not shown) may be used to insurethe integrity of the connection between the first and second enclosure380, 585. In an embodiment of the invention the groove or recess 130 maybe approximately 902 mm×32 mm×20 mm. In an embodiment of the invention,a mesh, a sheet or a barrier associated with a protrusion may beinserted in the groove or recess of the dunnage platform 130 and a keymay pass through a hole in the dunnage platform core (not shown) to lockand/or retain the enclosure 380, 585 onto the dunnage platform 100. Inan embodiment of the invention, the protrusion may pass thru a mesh, asheet or a barrier inserted in the core of the dunnage platform and akey may pass through a hole in the dunnage platform core (not shown) tolock and/or retain the enclosure 380, 585 on the dunnage platform 100.In an embodiment of the invention, a clasp may be fixed on the outsideof the enclosure or connect with straps encircling the cargo container.In one embodiment of the invention, the clasp may connect with a mesh, asheet or a barrier inserted in the core of the first or second enclosure380, 585. The clasp may then be fixed on the outside of the second orfirst enclosure 585, 380 or connect with straps encircling the cargocontainer.

According to one embodiment, the container 500, 600 or 800 may includean enclosure having one undivided internal compartment, as shown in FIG.3, 6, 8C or 8E. According to another embodiment, the container 500, 600or 800, may include an enclosure having more than one internalcompartment, not specifically shown. In one aspect, the interior mayhave dividers molded into the side of the component structures (notspecifically shown). In another aspect, the dividers may be added to thecontainer 500, 600 or 800 to form separate compartments. Features 612 or622, as shown in FIGS. 6, 6A and 7A, may be present or molded into thecomponents of the container 600 to allow for placement of dividers toadjust the size of the compartments.

FIG. 6, 6A and 7 show embodiments of an L-shaped half of a container600, which may generally have, for example, a substantially L-shapedcross-section, having a channel or groove, 130, molded or formed on thevarious sides. Slots 612 or 622 are molded or formed on the interior ofall side, base or top components, 610 or 620 of FIGS. 6, 6A and 7A, forattaching dividers (not shown) to create various compartments inside theenclosure, or for attaching shaped features 700 for resting cargo, asshown in FIG. 7A. In one embodiment, the slots 612 or 622, may be formedor molded in fixed distance apart, as shown in FIGS. 6, 6A and 7A, sothat same size or multiples of one size compartments may be formed. Inanother embodiment, slots 612 or 622 may be formed or molded in varieddistance apart (not specifically shown), so that different sizecompartments may be formed which may or may not be multiples of onesize. In one aspect, the slots 612 or 622 are formed at correspondingpositions on the inside surfaces of the side, top or bottom componentsto form compartments that are either substantially parallel to thehorizontal or vertical. In another aspect, the slots 612 or 622 areformed at an angle with respect to the horizontal or vertical. Theseslots may be used to locate cargo items to be protected from temperaturechanges inside their own packaging and may include pouches of PCMs incontact or in close proximity with cargo items.

According to one embodiment, features 700 may be formed or molded intothe components of the container, 500, 600 or 800, as shown in FIGS. 5A,7 and 8, for placement of cargo or placement of other components formore secure location of cargo. For multi-compartment containers 500, 600or 800, the phase change material may be present in one or more of thecompartments in the shipping container 500, 600 or 800, or it may bepresent with the cargo and the container 500, 600 or 800.

The containers 500, 600 or 800, as shown in FIGS. 5A, 7 and 8, may alsobe made of the size and shape to accommodate the cargo, or the cargo maybe contained in its own packaging and then inserted into the container380 or 600, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, as noted above.

FIG. 7 shows a closed container 600 by mating two substantially L-shapedcross-sectional halves, such as that shown in FIG. 6 or 7A, similar toFIG. 5. The substantially L-shaped cross-sectional halves may be mirrorimages or may be identical if turn 180°, as noted above.

In one embodiment, the enclosure may also be made up of a knock down orcollapsible container 800 for storage and/or shipping, as also in FIG.8, having a base, four walls extending therefrom and a top panel to forman enclosure therein, each of which having an inside surface, an outsidesurface, a width joining the inside and outside surfaces, and fourinside edges and four outside edges, as shown in FIG. 8D.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of an assembled container 800which may generally include a base 812, side pieces 801, 802, 803 and804, and a top 816. In general, the container 800 may be assembled intothe form illustrated in FIG. 8 without the use of adhesives, fastenersand/or other assembly aids and may substantially assemble in apredetermined fashion and retain the illustrated form. In oneembodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, the base 812 may generally berectangular and may include a plurality of channels or grooves 831, 832,833 and 834, each adjacent to an edge of the base 812. The grooves 831,832, 833 and 834 may each terminate at a corner which is substantiallyopen to the edge, as shown with corners 812 a, b, c and d, such that thegrooves are open at least one end to insert a side piece. The corners812 a, b, c and d may also include a closed edge which may thus act as astop such that, for example, a side piece(s) may abut against the closededge of the corner and be substantially retained and prevented fromadvancing beyond the corner. As illustrated in FIG. 8B, a side piece,such as side piece 801, may include a corresponding ridge 841, which mayslide into and be retained in a corresponding groove, such as groove 831as illustrated. The side pieces, such as illustrated with side piece801, may further include a ridge 841 a opposite ridge 841 which maycorrespond and be retained in a corresponding groove of the top 816.

In general, the side pieces 801, 802, 803 and 804 may include edgesorthogonal to ridges which correspond to the grooves of the top 816 andbase 812, as illustrated in the top view of the container 800 in FIG.8C. In general, the orthogonal edges may mate to each other withinterlocking connections, as illustrated with connections 853, 854 and855. In general, to assemble the container 800, for example, the sidepiece 804 may be inserted into the groove 834, followed by side piece803 in groove 833, side piece 802 in groove 832 and then side piece 801in groove 831. Side pieces 801 and 802 may include a non-interlockingjunction, as illustrated with abutting edges 851 and 852, such that sidepiece 801 may be inserted without interference from a protruding piece.The top 816 as illustrated in FIG. 8D, which may include grooves 833 a,b, c and d, which may correspond to ridges 842 a, b, c and d of the sidepieces, respectively, may then be placed such that the correspondingridges fit into the grooves of the top 816, closing the container 800.The top 816 may also, for example, be placed before all of the sidepieces are placed, such as illustrated in FIG. 8E. The side pieces, suchas side piece 801 as illustrated in FIG. 8E, may also include handlingfeatures, such as the handle depressions 801 d, such that the sidepieces may be manipulated with greater ease.

The containers 800 of FIGS. 8, 8A-E may also have formed or molded onthe interior of all side, base or top components, slots, such as 610 or620 of FIG. 6, 6A and 7A, for attaching dividers (not shown) to createvarious compartments inside the enclosure, or for attaching shapedfeatures 700 for resting cargo, such as shown in FIG. 7A. The slots 612or 622, may be formed molded in fixed distance apart, such as shown inFIG. 6, 6A and 7A, so that same size or multiples of one sizecompartments may be formed; or they may be formed or molded in varieddistance apart (not specifically shown), so that different sizecompartments may be formed which may or may not be multiples of onesize.

According to one embodiment, features 700 may be also formed or moldedinto the components of the container 800 of FIGS. 8, 8A-E, for placementof cargo or placement of other components for more secure location ofcargo.

Also, the containers 800 may be made of the size and shape toaccommodate the cargo, or the cargo may be contained in its ownpackaging, with or without phase change material in close proximity orin contact, as noted above, and then inserted into the container 800.

Though not specifically shown, the container embodiments of FIGS. 6, 6A,7A, 8, 8A-E may also have a base component having features such as 125,as shown in FIGS. 3A and B, for locating phase change materials, asdiscussed above.

In addition, a knock-down container as described in detail in U.S. Pat.No. 7,963,397, the contents of which is incorporated herein in itsentirely, may also be used with phase change materials according to anyor all of the embodiments described above.

In various embodiments of the invention, one or more of the dunnageplatform, the first enclosure and second enclosure are formed from acore, from one or more of the materials including expanded polystyrene,polyurethane, polyphenylene ether, polystyrene impregnated with pentane,a blend of polyphenylene ether and polystyrene impregnated with pentane,polyethylene, and polypropylene. In various embodiments of theinvention, one or more of the dunnage platform, the first enclosure andsecond enclosure are formed from a core containing one or more materialsmentioned above. In various embodiments of the invention, one or more ofthe dunnage platform, the first enclosure and second enclosure areformed from one or more thermoplastic sheets or layers including highimpact polystyrene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, low densitypolyethylene, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylonitrilebutadiene styrene, polyethylene, polyacrylonitrile, polyurea,polybutadiene, polyphenylene ether and polyphony ether alloyed with highimpact polystyrene. In various embodiments of the invention, one or moreof the dunnage platform, the first enclosure and second enclosurethermoplastic sheets are a blend of any of the polymers mentioned above.In various embodiments of the invention, one or more of the dunnageplatform, the first enclosure and second enclosure are formed from acore with an embedded strengthening material selected from the groupconsisting of a mesh, a perforated sheet and a barrier is embedded inthe core. In various embodiments of the invention, one or more of thedunnage platform, the first enclosure and second enclosure are formedfrom a core with an embedded strengthening material selected from thegroup consisting of metal, carbon fiber, Kevlar, basalt-web blanket andFormica. As noted above, when used in facilitating security check of aircargo transport of cargo that is transparent to magnetic scanners,non-metal containers may be used.

In embodiments of the invention, one or more of the load bearingstructure and the half enclosures may be made of an expanded polymercore over which one or more thermoplastic sheets are combined. Theexpanded core may be made from already manufactured bulk form, such asexpanded polystyrene foam which may be cut to the desired shape andsize; or may be foamed in place in a mold of the size and shape desired,such as polyurethane foam. The foam density may also be varied,depending on the degree of expansion of the beads used to make the foam.The foam density may also decide the suitable load or cargo to beloaded. In general, the bead density for the foam may vary between 25-30Kg/m3 if it is polystyrene. It is surmised that, for a give foammaterial, the higher density of the resulting foams, the higher strengthof the resulting load bearing structures. However, higher density foamsalso increases the weight of the resultant load bearing structure. Thus,it is desirable to tailor the correct density of the foam for theutility at hand.

For lower density beads, the resultant foam may or may not bestructurally weaker with the same degree of bead expansion. Thus,material of the foam may also be considered for the tailoring.

No matter what the material of the expanded core is, it is in general byitself, unless it is of higher density, for example, the beads are nothighly expanded, may not have sufficient structural strength to beuseable as a load bearing platform.

In an embodiment of the invention, one or two high impact polystyrenesheets are combined with an expanded polystyrene core containinggrooves, protrusions and/or pockets to form one or more of the loadbearing structure and the half enclosures. In an alternative embodimentsof the invention, one or more of the load bearing structure and the halfenclosures may be made by injecting a polymer into a mold to form thecore and after removing the core from the mold spraying a polymercoating on the polymer core. In an embodiment of the invention, liquidpolyurethane is injected into a mold to form a polyurethane corecontaining grooves, protrusions and/or pockets which after curing isremoved from the mold and sprayed with polyurea to form one or more ofthe load bearing structure and the half enclosures. For example, thepolyurea spray coating process may form a coating of about 0.1 to about0.5 mm thick on a about 50 mm core. In various embodiments of theinvention, the mold may be made of metal, plastic or natural materialsincluding wood. In an embodiment of the invention, the mold is made ofaluminum.

In one embodiment, at least one antimicrobial agent may be added to thematerial used for making the polymeric layer, for example. Theantimicrobial agent may be in powder form or in liquid form. In anotherembodiment, at least one antimicrobial agent may be coated onto theexposed surface of the polymeric layer, for example. The antimicrobialagent may be in powder form or in liquid form.

When the antimicrobial agent or agents are incorporated in the materialused in making the polymeric layer, for example, a sheet or sprayedcoating, the agent or agents maybe dispersed directly into the material,or with the aid of an appropriate carrier, for example, a binding agent,a solvent, or a suitable polymer mixing aid. These carriers may also beuseful for coating aids. Effective binding agents are those that do notinterfere with the antimicrobial activities of the antimicrobial agent.In one embodiment, when the anti-microbial agent is incorporated intothe material used either for making the polymeric layer, for example, asheet or sprayed coating mentioned above, the antimicrobial agent maybemaster batch in the material or an appropriate carrier at a higherconcentration prior to adding to the material for making the polymericlayer, for example, a sheet or sprayed coating in desired proportions.In another embodiment, the antimicrobial agent may be added directly tothe material for making the polymeric layer, for example, a sheet orsprayed coating without the intermediate step.

In other embodiments, the antimicrobial agents, either in coatings orincorporated into the materials for making the polymeric layer, forexample, sheets or surface coatings, may include chemical antimicrobialmaterials or compounds that may be deposited in a non-permanent mannersuch that they may slowly dissolve, slowly leach or otherwise deliverantimicrobial substances during use. The antimicrobial material may beadequately incorporated, though temporarily and/or in sufficient amountsto last at least for a period such as the useful life of the loadbearing structures, either when at least one antimicrobial agent isadded to the material used for making the polymeric layer, for example,a sheet or sprayed coating mentioned above, or when at least oneantimicrobial agent is coated onto the exposed surface of polymericlayer, for example, the sheet or sprayed coating mentioned above; ormaintain their anti-microbial effects when at least one antimicrobialagent is coated with the aid of coating agents, onto the exposed surfaceof the polymeric layer, for example, a sheet or sprayed coatingmentioned above. The suitable agent or agents are those that tend toslowly migrate, or non-leaching as defined below, to the surfaces toprovide antimicrobial properties to the surfaces.

In still other embodiments, the antimicrobial agent either in coatingsor incorporated into the material used for making the polymeric layer,for example, sheets or sprayed coatings may include sources ofanti-microbial agents which may be non-leaching but leach and/or releasein a moist environment or upon contact with moisture. These sources maybe incorporated into the substrate materials used for manufacturing thepolymeric layer, for example, sheet mentioned above, or included in thecoatings spray coated on the exposed surfaces of the core or sheet.Incorporation of these sources may be especially suited to polymericsubstrates.

Antimicrobial materials or compounds may include a variety of substancesincluding, but not limited to antibiotics such as β-lactams (e.g.penicillin), aminoglycosides (e.g. streptomycin) and tetracylcines (e.g.doxycycline), antimycotics such as polyene drugs (e.g. amphotericin B)and imidazole and triazole drugs (e.g. fluconazole), and generalantimicrobial agents such as quaternary ammonium cations (e.g.benzalkonium chloride) and compounds such as triclosan, chlorhexidine,and/or any other appropriate compound or mixtures thereof.

Chemical antimicrobial materials or compounds may include a variety ofsubstances including, but not limited to antibiotics, antimycotics,quaternary ammonium cations, a source of metal ions such as metal iongenerating materials, triclosan, chlorhexidine or any other materialscapable of generating an antimicrobial effect, and/or any otherappropriate compound or mixtures thereof.

In some embodiments, a layer of substantially non-permanent coatingincluding an anti-microbial compound may be present on top of a layer ofa substantially permanent coating including an anti-microbial compound.

The substantially permanent anti-microbial coating may be, for example,substantially flexible so that the coating substantially covers theworking surfaces of the loading bearing structure during use even if thestructure flexes. If the anti-microbial compound is not capable offorming a substantially flexible coating by itself, then a binding agentcapable of forming a substantially flexible coating may be used to aidin the flexibility of the resulting coating.

As noted above, the polymeric layer, for example, sheets or sprayedcoating or the coatings thereon the polymeric layer, for example, sheetsor sprayed coatings may include chemical anti-microbial materials orcompounds that are capable of being substantially permanently bonded, atleast for a period such as the useful life of the loading bearingstructure or maintain their anti-microbial effects when coated with theaid of processing aids or coating agents, onto the exposed surfaces ofthe polymeric layer, for example, sheet or coating 115, as shown inFIG. 1. In one example, the chemicals may be deposited on the surface ofthe polymeric layer, for example, sheet or coating 115 or incorporatedinto the material of the polymeric layer, for example, sheet or coating115. Antimicrobial activity may be built into the surface 115 itself by,for example, covalently bonding antimicrobial agents to the surface ofthe polymeric layer, for example, sheet or coating 115, or ifincorporated into the bulk of the material for making the polymericlayer, for example, sheet or sprayed coating, may migrate to thesurface. These covalently bonded materials may act to minimize microbialgrowth on the surface, either disposable or reusable. In addition, anymicrobial organisms that may chance to be attached to the material maybe killed by interaction with the coating. For example, quaternaryammonium cations, such as N-alkyl-pyridiniums, may be used asantimicrobial moieties in covalently attached polymeric surfacecoatings. In one case, poly(4-vinyl-N-hexylpyridinium) (N-alkylated-PVP)was previously noted to have an optimum alkyl side chain length forantimicrobial activity. Polyethylenimine (PEI) was also previously usedas a bacteriocidal coating when both N-alkylated on its primary aminogroup and subsequently N-methylated on its secondary and tertiary aminogroups to raise the overall number of cationic quaternary amino groups.Any such covalently bonded quaternary ammonium cation polymeric coatingsmay be used to give an antimicrobial property to the surface or surfacesof the loading bearing structures. Further examples of quaternaryammonium compounds include, but are not limited to, benzalkoniumchloride, benzethonium chloride, methylbenzethonium chloride,cetalkonium chloride, cetylpyridinium chloride, cetrimonium, cetrimide,dofanium chloride, tetraethylammonium bromide, didecyldimethylammoniumchloride and domiphen bromide.

In yet further embodiments, antimicrobial activity may be achieved byutilizing the antimicrobial properties of various metals, especiallytransition metals which have little to no effect on humans. Examples mayinclude sources of free silver ions, which are noted for theirantimicrobial effects and few biological effects on humans. Metal ionantimicrobial activity may be created by a variety of methods that mayinclude, for example, mixing a source of a metal ion with the polymericlayer, for example, sheet or coating material during manufacture,coating the surface by methods such as plasma deposition, looselycomplexing the metal ion source by disrupting the surface of thepolymeric layer, for example, coating or sheet to form affinity orbinding sites by methods such as etching or coronal discharge, anddepositing a metal onto the surface by means such as electroplating,photoreduction and precipitation. The coated surface may then slowlyrelease free metal ions during use that may produce an antimicrobialeffect.

In some embodiments, the source of metal ions may be an ion exchangeresin. Ion exchange resins are substances that carry ions in bindingsites on the surfaces of the material. Ion exchange resins may beimpregnated with particular ion species for which it has a givenaffinity. The ion exchange resin may be placed in an environmentcontaining different ion species for which it has a generally higheraffinity, causing the impregnated ions to leach into the environment,being replaced by the ion species originally present in the environment.

In one embodiment, the polymeric layer, for example, sheet or sprayedcoating may include an ion exchange resin containing a metal ion source,such as, for example, silver. Ion exchange resins containing metal ionsources may include, for example, Alphasan® (Milliken Chemical), whichis a zirconium phosphate-based ceramic ion exchange resin containingsilver. An ion exchange resin may be coated onto the polymeric layer,for example, sheet or sprayed coating or it may be incorporated into thematerial of the sheet or sprayed coating, as discussed above.

In one embodiment, a porous surface, which may be a porous sheetsubstrate or surface of the core 115, for example, an expandedpolystyrene core or polyurethane core, may be impregnated with a waterbased antimicrobial composition, having at least one polymeric carrierthat may be in the form of an emulsion or dispersion and at least onesubstantially non-leaching antimicrobial component that is substantiallyfree of environmentally hazardous material. The porous substrate may ormay not additionally be overcoated or protected with a film layer afterbeing impregnated with the antimicrobial composition.

In another embodiment, a porous surface, which may be a porous sheetsubstrate or surface of the core 115, for example, an expandedpolystyrene core or polyurethane core, may be impregnated with a waterbased antimicrobial composition, having at least one polymeric carrierthat may be in the form of an emulsion or dispersion and at least onesurface active antimicrobial component that is substantially free ofenvironmentally hazardous material.

In yet another embodiment, a non-porous sheet substrate 115 may becoated with a water based antimicrobial composition, having at least onepolymeric carrier that may be in the form of an emulsion or dispersionand at least one substantially non-leaching antimicrobial component thatis substantially free of environmentally hazardous material.

For load bearing structures having one thermoplastic sheet 115 over thecore thereon, the exposed surfaces may be porous, as noted above. Theporous material may be impregnated with a water based antimicrobialcomposition, also as mentioned above, making the surface non-porous.

In some embodiments, the surfaces of the porous materials impregnatedwith an antimicrobial composition may be non-porous after drying orsetting and may perform as if it has been coated or covered with athermoplastic sheet or layer mentioned above.

The same emulsion or dispersion mentioned above may also be coated ontothe exposed surfaces of load bearing structures having two thermoplasticsheets over the core thereon.

Examples of antimicrobial component that is substantially free ofenvironmentally hazardous material may include sodium omadine, sodiumborate, zinc omadine, zinc borate, calcium borate, barium metaborate,iodo alkynyl alkyl carbamates, diiodomethyl-p-tolylsulfone,2-4-thiazolyl-benzimidaxole, 2-n-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one, zincdimethyldithiocarbamate, zinc 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, potassiumn-hydroxymethyl-n-methyldithiscarbamate, sodium 2-mercaptobenzothiazole,5-hydroxyemthoxymethyl-1-aza-3,7-dioxa-bicyclooctane,2,3,5,6-tetra-chloro-4-pyridine, zinc 2-pyridinethiol-1-oxide andN-trichloromethylthiophthalimide, tetrachloroisophthalonitrile,deltamethrin, fipronil, bifenthrin, chlorfenapyr, imidacloprid, andmixtures thereof. For use in facilitating security check, metalliccompounds are not used.

Non-leaching antimicrobial materials are, for example, materials with avery low volatility and very low water solubility such that it wouldonly leach out to the extent sufficient to maintain an effective anduniform concentration throughout the exposed surface(s) of theantimicrobial article when its concentration thereon may be reduced dueto its action against microorganisms. In other words, the antimicrobialcomponent may be selected not to be fugitive or migrating once beingincorporated into the impregnated article, but to have a very low watersolubility so that it may maintain an equilibrium concentrationthroughout the article on its surface(s) whenever the concentrationreduction occurs due to the attack of the microbes. The antimicrobialcomponent may have a water solubility of, for example, from about 0.10PPM to about 1.0 wt %, depending on each individual antimicrobialcomponent.

For example, the polymeric emulsion or dispersion may have a mediumparticle size of from about 0.10 micron to about 4.0 micron. Examples ofuseful polymeric emulsion or dispersion includes, such as, emulsions ordispersions of styrene acrylic copolymers, such as Acronal S702 fromBASF, Ucar 376 from Union Carbide, and Res 3077 from Rohm & Haas;styrene butadiene block copolymers, such as, DL 313 NA from DowChemical, ND-565 and ND-422 from BASF, and Rovene 6105 from MallardCreek Polymers; ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers, such as Airflex400/A405/460 from Air Products and Elvace 1875 from Reichhold Chemicals;polyvinyl acetate homopolymer, such as PD-316 from H.B. Fuller Company,and Airflex XX-220/230 from Air Products; acrylate-acrylonitrilecopolymers, such as Synthemuls, various grades from Reichhold Chemicals;vinyl acetate-vinyl chloride ethylene copolymers, such as Airflex 728from Air Products; ethylene vinyl acetate butyl acrylate terpolymers,such as Airflex 809 from Air Products; butadiene-acrylonitrilecopolymers, such as Tylac, various grades from Reichhold Chemical; vinylacrylic-vinyl chloride, such as Haloflex 563 from Zeneca Resins;vinylidene chloride-acrylic-vinyl chloride copolymers, such as Vycar660X14 and Vycar 460X46 from B.F. Goodrich; chloroprene polymers andcopolymers, such as DuPont Neoprene latex 115, 400, 654 and 750 fromDuPont; water-borne urethane polymers, such as Neo Rez R-962, 967 and972 from Zeneca Resins, and mixtures thereof.

In various embodiments of the invention, a lightweight mesh may beembedded in the polymer core prior to application of the thermoplasticsheet to one or more surfaces of the polymer core. The mesh may bepolymeric or metal, except when containers are to be used infacilitating security check of air cargo transport of cargo that istransparent to magnetic scanners, polymeric mesh may be used.

In an embodiment, a thin perforated sheet or barrier is spaced away froma thermoplastic sheet which forms a part of a mold and the polymer corefills the vacancy between the thermoplastic sheet and the moldsurrounding the thin perforated sheet. In an alternative embodiment, athin perforated sheet or barrier is positioned inside a mold and thepolymer core fills the mold surrounding the thin perforated sheet. In anembodiment of the invention, a lightweight mesh is embedded between theexpanded polystyrene core and the high impact polystyrene sheet. In anembodiment of the invention, a lightweight mesh is embedded between thepolyurethane core and the polyurea coating applied over the lightweightmesh. In one embodiment the mesh, perforated sheet or barrier ismetallic. In another embodiment the mesh, perforated sheet or barrier ismade of Kevlar. In a different embodiment the mesh, perforated sheet orbarrier is made of a basalt web blanket material. In a furtherembodiment the mesh, perforated sheet or barrier is made of carbonfiber. In another embodiment the mesh, perforated sheet or barrier ismade of Formica.

By imbedding mesh, a perforated sheet or a barrier within the core, thecargo container base, walls and top panel may not be simply punctured orpierced with items such as knives, chisels, crowbars or other suchdevices (i.e., puncture resistant). As such the cargo container isdefined as being ‘tamper-resistant’ meaning that the integrity of thecontainer is not susceptible to attack by persons wielding instrumentsthat may be concealed under items of clothing. Tamper resistant is aless stringent requirement than safe. Tamper resistant is designed toinsure that the container may not be broken into by an opportunisticthief. That is persons having instruments that may be concealed underitems of clothing and used to break or disturb the integrity of thecontainer. Tamper resistant does not secure a container against heavyequipment, or power tools.

In an embodiment of the invention, the mesh, perforated sheet or barrieris made of a conducting material and is connected to a voltage supplysuch that contact with the surface of the mesh, perforated sheet orbarrier will transmit an electric shock. The electric shock may becontrolled by a microprocessor to deliver one or more combinations oflow voltage low current or high voltage low current shocks. Themicroprocessor may be inserted in the core or positioned inside thecargo container and connected to the mesh, perforated sheet or barrier.The voltage supply may be inserted in the core or positioned inside thecargo container and connected to the microprocessor circuit and themesh, perforated sheet or barrier inside the cargo container. In analternative embodiment of the invention, a warning siren, flashing lightor foul odor alarm may be activated by the microprocessor when theintegrity of the cargo container is breached. The warning siren alarmmay be positioned in the core or inside the cargo container andconnected to the microprocessor circuit and the voltage supply. The foulodor alarm may be positioned in the core or inside the cargo containerwith a cavity connecting the odor reservoir to the outside of thecontainer and a relay valve connected to the microprocessor circuit. Theflashing light alarm may be inserted in the core where the light maypenetrate through the thermoplastic sheet and may be connected to themicroprocessor circuit and the voltage supply. In this embodiment, themesh, perforated sheet or barrier may be light weight and electricallyconducting. When the integrity of the mesh, perforated sheet or barrieris disrupted a voltage meter senses the reduced voltage being conductedand sets off the alarm. A light emitting diode or other warning may bevisible on the exterior of the cargo container and may be used to alerthandlers that the cargo container is wired to an alarm system. A sensormay relay a signal to the microprocessor and may be used by the clientor the shipping agent to disconnect the voltage supply or otherwisedisarm the alarm, prior to unloading the cargo container on arrival atthe destination.

In another embodiment of the invention, the cargo container base is madeof a polymer core in which either mesh, a perforated sheet or a barrierare imbedded. The core may be combined with a thermoplastic sheet or thecore may be injected into a mold in which the thermoplastic sheet formsa portion of the mold. The cargo container walls and top panel may alsobe made of a core in which either mesh, a perforated sheet or a barrierare imbedded. In various embodiments, the reinforced materials areindistinguishable from the non-reinforced materials when subjected tovisual inspection. In this way an opportunistic thief may not be certainhow difficult it may be to gain entry to any given cargo container. Invarious embodiments of the invention, the cargo container exteriorsurfaces may be imprinted with information warning approximately safetyand or theft protection measures required when handling the cargocontainer.

As mentioned above, when transporting temperature critical cargo itemsthat may be difficult to discern its integrity without subjecting it topartially or substantially destructive testing, somewhat difficult orexpensive testing, the cargo item its is own packaging with phase changein contact or in close proximity may also include a critical temperatureindicator, which may be used to indicate if the temperature has beenreached and thus if the integrity of the cargo item has been breached.By integrity, it may mean effectiveness against a target, is notdecomposed, or no adulteration of any form. In one embodiment, theindicator may be presented on the outside of the packaging material. Inanother embodiment, the indicator may be present in close proximity orin contact with the cargo item or inside the packaging material. In afurther embodiment, the indicator may be present somewhere on the insideof the cargo container 500, 600 or 800. The temperature indicator mayoperate in various different way, including a visual indicator invarious forms, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,457,252; 4,457,253;4,846,095; 5,816,707; 7,517,146; and 7,528,737, the contents of whichare hereby incorporated by referenced in their entirety.

For example, an indicator may include a device that operates on theprinciple that a mixture of two or more liquids may have a surfaceenergy value incapable of wetting out a given surface, and may be madeto wet out that surface if the temperature of the mixture is reducedsufficiently to solidify a portion of one of the liquids and thus alterthe concentration of liquids in the mixture.

Example of such an indicating device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,846,095, mentioned above and may include a microporous layer having amultiplicity of micropores therein and a mixture of at least two liquidsincapable of wetting the sheet at a given temperature, but capable ofwetting the sheet when the temperature of the mixture reaches a criticalvalue, e.g. the freezing point of one of the liquids. The microporouslayer has a large number of voids that scatter transmitted light, makingthe layer appear opaque to the human eye. When the voids are filled witha material having substantially the same index of refraction as thematerial of the microporous layer, the transmitted light is notscattered by the layer, which results in making the layer transmissiveto visible light.

For some materials, both temperature and time can be critical. Someindicators may indicate time as well as temperature, such as thosedisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,667,303; 4,428,321; 3,954,011; 3962,920;6,244,208; 6,435,128; 6,614,728; 6,916,116; and 6,950,028, the contentsof which are hereby incorporated by referenced in their entirety.

For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,614,728, a time-temperature indicatorinclude a first substrate having a diffusely light-reflective porousmatrix disposed thereon, and a second substrate having an amorphousmaterial disposed thereon. When the porous matrix and the amorphousmaterial are in contact with one another at or above a predeterminedtemperature, the amorphous material migrates into the porous matrix at arate that increases with increasing temperature, providing a readableindication of cumulative time-temperature exposure.

As mentioned above, the cargo containers 500, 600 and 800 may includepockets 125 for locating cargo item plus phase change material packages,similar to what has been discussed for phase change material pouchesalone.

After loading the cargo container, the interior may be further sealedfrom the exterior by wrapping cellulose film, polyvinyl chloride film,polyvinylidene chloride film, low density polyethylene film, linear lowdensity polyethylene film and copolymer films that include polyisobuteneand/or polyethylene-vinylacetate.

In another embodiment of the invention, a Radio Frequency IDentification(RFID) tag is imbedded in the core of one or more of the dunnageplatform, the first enclosure and second enclosure. In one embodiment ofthe invention, the RFID tag operates using an Ultra High Frequency (UHF)signal. In another embodiment of the invention, the RFID tag operatesusing a microwave frequency signal.

In one embodiment, the RFID tag may be centered in the middle of thecore. In another embodiment, the RFID tag may be placed on the edge ofthe core. In an embodiment of the invention, the RFID tag may bepositioned so that the RFID tag antenna is least affected by any metalin the loaded cargo carrier.

In one embodiment the RFID tag is read only. In another embodiment, theRFID tag contains an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory(EPROM), which enables both read and write functions. In an embodimentof the invention, the RFID tag is passive. In another embodiment of theinvention, the RFID tag is semi-passive containing a source of energysuch as a battery to allow the tag to be constantly powered. In afurther embodiment of the invention, the RFID tag is active, containingan internal power source, such as a battery, which is used to power anyIntegrated Circuits (ICs) in the tag and generate the outgoing signal.In another embodiment, the tag has the ability to enable locationsensing through a photo sensor.

In one embodiment of the invention, means of communication with a basestation is imbedded in one or more of the dunnage platform, the firstenclosure and the second enclosure. In one embodiment of the invention,the communication means utilizes one or more of a wireless local areanetwork; a wireless wide area network; a cellular network; a satellitenetwork; a Wi-Fi network; and a pager network. In one embodiment of theinvention, the device embedded is a modem capable of communicating withone or more of the aforementioned networks. In the following discussionthe term ‘cellular modem’ will be used to describe the device embedded.The term ‘cellular modem’ will be herein used to identify any device ofcomparable size capable of communicating over one or more of theaforementioned networks. In one embodiment of the invention, thecellular modem may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) modem. Inan embodiment of the invention, a RFID reader and associate integratedcircuit processor are embedded together with the cellular modem in thespreader, the transporter base, the dispenser base, the reloading baseand the material of the four walls. In such an embodiment, the RFID tagsand RFID reader are positioned to optimize the RFID read of the RFIDtags from the other surfaces, which make up the dunnage platform bag.

In an embodiment of the invention, where a RFID reader and a cellularmodem are embedded in one or more of the spreader, the transporter base,the dispenser base, the reloading base and the material of the fourwalls; the RFID reader is in communication with one or more RFIDreaders, associated cellular modems and the RFID tags of one or morecargo carriers in the vicinity of the RFID reader. Throughcommunications with the RFID reader and associated integrated circuitprocessor of the plurality of cargo carriers in the vicinity, a RFIDreader and associated integrated circuit processor is able todistinguish the RFID tag from cargo loaded in cargo carriers in thevicinity based on one or more of location, strength of signal, variationof RFID tag signal with position in the cargo carrier relative to thereader, variation of RFID tag signal with time and prior input data. Inan embodiment of the invention, one or more antennae inserted into thecargo carrier are used to help discriminate the location of the cargocarriers. In an embodiment of the invention, the RFID reader andassociate processor are in communication with the embedded cellularmodem. In an embodiment of the invention, the cellular modem is incommunication with a base station and may transmit one or moreparameters selected from the group consisting of one or more RFID taglocation, one or more RFID tag identification code, number of cargocarriers, cargo carrier information, previous cargo information, dunnageplatform condition, enclosure condition, cargo carrier condition andtime stamp.

In one embodiment of the invention the RFID code uses the IEEE formatand is Electronic Product Code (EPC) readable. In another embodiment ofthe invention the RFID code uses the UCC format and is Universal ProductCode (UPC) readable. In another embodiment, the format is compatible forEPC, European Article Number (EAN) and UPC read and write functions.

Various embodiments may be implemented using a conventional generalpurpose or specialized digital computer(s) and/or processor(s)programmed according to the teachings of the present disclosure, as willbe apparent to those skilled in the computer art. Appropriate softwarecoding may readily be prepared by skilled programmers based on theteachings of the present disclosure, as will be apparent to thoseskilled in the software art. The invention may also be implemented bythe preparation of integrated circuits and/or by interconnecting anappropriate network of component circuits, as will be readily apparentto those skilled in the art.

Various embodiments include a computer program product which is astorage medium (media) having instructions and/or information storedthereon/in which may be used to program a general purpose or specializedcomputing processor(s)/device(s) to perform any of the featurespresented herein. The storage medium may include, but is not limited to,one or more of the following: any type of physical media includingfloppy disks, optical discs, DVDs, CD-ROMs, micro drives,magneto-optical disks, holographic storage devices, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs,EEPROMs, DRAMs, PRAMS, VRAMs, flash memory devices, magnetic or opticalcards, nano-systems (including molecular memory ICs); paper orpaper-based media; and any type of media or device suitable for storinginstructions and/or information. Various embodiments include a computerprogram product that may be transmitted in whole or in parts and overone or more public and/or private networks wherein the transmissionincludes instructions and/or information, which may be used by one ormore processors to perform any of the features, presented herein. Invarious embodiments, the transmission may include a plurality ofseparate transmissions.

Stored on one or more of the computer readable medium (media), thepresent disclosure includes software for controlling both the hardwareof general purpose/specialized computer(s) and/or processor(s), and forenabling the computer(s) and/or processor(s) to interact with a humanuser or other mechanism utilizing the results of the present invention.Such software may include, but is not limited to, device drivers,operating systems, execution environments/containers, user interfacesand applications.

The execution of code may be direct or indirect. The code may includecompiled, interpreted and other types of languages. Unless otherwiselimited by claim language, the execution and/or transmission of codeand/or code segments for a function may include invocations or calls toother software or devices, local or remote, to do the function. Theinvocations or calls may include invocations or calls to librarymodules, device drivers and remote software to do the function. Theinvocations or calls may include invocations or calls in distributed andclient/server systems.

As noted above, the storage or shipping containers may be square shapeor may be of polygonal or clam shell shape. In one exemplary embodiment,a cargo container for insulating and transporting and/or storage ofcargo may include a first structure having a load bearing portion and atleast a first wall, at least one of the load bearing structure and atleast one wall may include at least a first core and a firstthermoplastic layer surrounding the first core; and a second structurehaving a top portion and at least a second wall, at least one of saidtop and at least one wall may include at least a second core and atleast a second thermoplastic layer surrounding the second core; suchthat at least one of the load bearing portion, first and second wall andtop portion includes at least one phase change material to insulate thecargo for climate control. The phase change material may be compoundedinto a composite, mixed or encapsulated. The encapsulated material maybe particularly suited for dispersing with any of the core.

For cold chain cargo and its container, any tracking system may alsohelp to monitor the cargo's integrity after packing and prior tosecurity check.

In other embodiments, the cargo container may be covered by a flexibleand strong, bag-like material 70 to contain and protect the cargo frombeing removed and/or misplaced, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 10A. Forexample, the material may be a film, a woven sheet or a non-woven sheethaving sufficient strength for stretching over and covering a cargo andlight weight enough not to add unnecessary weight to the cargo.

The bag-like material 70 may be closed on three sides and opened at oneend, with the open end having some elastic property circumferentiallyabout the opening. The cargo may be packed and the bag-like material 70stretched over the entire cargo with the open end stretched under theedge of base and tagged at the origin and the complete structure may beshrink-wrapped. The surfaces of the bag-like material may also haveanti-microbial properties.

The bag like enclosure 70, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 10A, may be amodular, lightweight, strong receptacle that may be stretched over thecargo to protect it from dust and/or other elements if desired and tominimize loss. For example, it may also have ultra violet lightinsulating, fire resistant, tamper proof and similar properties. In someembodiments, it may be desirable for some application for the materialfor the bag-like enclosure to be moisture resistant, or breathable,i.e., permeable to vapor or gas.

For a film, the suitable material may be made from any film formingmaterial including may include polymers of monoolefins and diolefins,e.g. polypropylene, polyisobutylene, polybut-1-ene,poly-4-methylpent-1-ene, polyvinylcyclohexane, polyisoprene orpolybutadiene, and polymers of cycloolefins, e.g. of cyclopentene ornorbornene, polyethylene (which may optionally be crosslinked), e.g.high density polyethylene (HDPE), medium density polyethylene (MDPE),low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene(LLDPE), (VLDPE) and (ULDPE); copolymers of monoolefins and diolefinswith one another or with other vinyl monomers, e.g. ethylene/propylenecopolymers, linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and blends thereofwith low density polyethylene (LDPE), propylene/but-1-ene copolymers,propylene/isobutylene copolymers, ethylene/but-1-ene copolymers,ethylene/hexene copolymers, ethylene/methylpentene copolymers,ethylene/heptene copolymers, ethylene/octene copolymers,ethylene/vinylcyclohexane copolymers, ethylene/cycloolefin copolymers(e.g. ethylene/norbornene, such as COC), propylene/butadiene copolymers,isobutylene/isoprene copolymers, ethylene/vinylcyclohexene copolymers,polystyrene, poly(p-methylstyrene), poly(alpha-methylstyrene);polyamides and co-polyamides derived from diamines and dicarboxylicacids and/or from aminocarboxylic acids or the corresponding lactams,for example polyamide 4, polyamide 6, polyamide 6/6, 6/10, 6/9, 6/12,4/6, 12/12, polyamide 11, polyamide 12, aromatic polyamides startingfrom m-xylenediamine and adipic acid; polyamides prepared fromhexamethylenediamine and isophthalic and terephthalic acid as startingmaterials and with or without an elastomer as a modifier, for examplepoly-2,4,4-trimethylhexamethyleneterephthal-amide orpoly-m-phenyleneisophthalamide; and also block copolymers of saidpolyamides with polyolefins, olefin copolymers, ionomers or chemicallybonded or grafted elastomers; polyamides with polyethers, for examplewith polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol or polytetramethyleneglycol; and also polyamides or co-polyamides modified with EPDM or ABS;polyamides condensed during the preparation (RIM polyamide systems);polyesters derived from dicarboxylic acids and diols and/or fromhydroxycarboxylic acids or the corresponding lactones, for examplepolyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate,poly-1,4-dimethylolcyclohexane terephthalate, polyalkylene naphthalate(PAN) and polyhydroxybenzoate, and also block copolyetheresters derivedfrom hydroxyl-terminated polyethers; polycarbonates andpolyestercarbonates, polyketones, polysulfones, polyethersulfones andpolyetherketones; crosslinked polymers derived from aldehydes on the onehand and phenols, ureas and melamines on the other hand, such as, forexample, phenol/formaldehyde resins, urea/formaldehyde resins andmelamine/formaldehyde resins; unsaturated polyester resins derived fromco-polyesters of saturated and unsaturated dicarboxylic acids,polyhydric alcohols and vinyl components as cross linking agents, andalso halogen-containing modifiers thereof having low flammability;crosslinked acrylic resins derived from substituted acrylates, e.g.epoxyacrylates, urethaneacrylates or polyesteracrylates; starch;polymers and co-copolymers of materials such as polylactic acids and itscopolymers, cellulose, polyhydroxy alcanoates (PHA), polycaprolactone(PCL), polybutylene succinate (PBS)) polymers and copolymers ofN-vinylpyrrolidone such as polyvinylpyrrolidone,poly(vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate), and crosslinkedpolyvinylpyrrolidone, Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol (EvOH).

The bag-like enclosure may be porous sheeting material and may includevarious woven or non-woven fiberglass, Brattice cloth, cotton and otherfabrics, heavy weight paper, light weight wire mesh, ceramic cloths, orpolymeric material, such as, some synthetics, e.g., various woven ornon-woven polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, Nylon, synthetic fiberblend, etc. an emulsion or dispersion of a film-forming polymer that hasa glass transition temperature (Tg) of from about −70.degree. F. (about−57.degree. C.) to about 140.degree. F. (about 60.degree. C.). Wire meshand other metallic materials may not suitable for facilitating securitycheck.

A suitable material may also be a fibrous nonwoven web formed from anyblow microfibers. Suitable for blown microfibers may includesemicrystalline polymers such as high and low density polyethylene,polypropylene, polyoxymethylene, poly(vinylidine fluoride), poly(methylpentene), poly(ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene), poly(vinyl fluoride),poly(ethylene oxide), poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(butyleneterephthalate), nylon 6, nylon 66, polybutene, and thermotropic liquidcrystal polymers. Examples of suitable thermotropic liquid crystalpolymers include aromatic polyesters which exhibit liquid crystalproperties when melted and which are synthesized from aromatic diols,aromatic carboxylic acids, hydroxycarboxylic acids, and other likemonomers. Typical examples include a first type consisting ofparahydroxybenzoic acid (PHB), terephthalic acid, and biphenol; a secondtype consisting of PHB and 2,6-hydroxynaphthoic acid; and a third typeconsisting of PHB, terephthalic acid, and ethylene glycol.

For example, polyolefins such as polypropylene and polyethylene that arereadily available at low cost and can provide highly desirableproperties in the microfibrillated articles such as high modulus andhigh tensile strength. Any polyolefins, such as those noted above. Insome cases, multicomponent fibers having an adhesive component regionmay also be suitable.

In general, the bag-like enclosure 70 may have at least somestretchability. Non-woven materials may in general be made to bestretchable. A general example of a suitable material may include heatand/or pressure treated, non-woven, high density polyethylene materials,such as Tyvek®, available from DuPont, which may also exhibit otherdesirable properties such as, for example, water resistance,breathability, resistance to tearing and/or other properties.

As noted above, the opening may have an elastic property to allow theenclosure to be stretched over the cargo and/or the load structure, asshown in FIGS. 10 and 10A. In one embodiment, the opening may bestretched around the bottom of the cargo. In another embodiment, theopening may be stretched over the load bearing structure. In a furtherembodiment, it may be stretched and tucked under the edge portion of theload bearing structure, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 10A.

The elastic property of the opening may be imparted through thermaltreatment or attachment of an additional elastic material, either bywelding, heating sealing, using an adhesive or by sewing.

In other embodiments, a gathered fibrous nonwoven web possessing elasticcharacteristics may be used for imparting the elastic property to theopening. In one embodiment, the fibrous nonwoven gathered web may beformed, in a gatherable condition, directly onto an extendable andcontractible forming surface while the forming surface is maintained inthe extended condition. In another embodiment, the extendable andcontractible forming surface may be a nonwoven elastic web such as, forexample, a fibrous nonwoven elastic web. In a further embodiment, theextendable and contractible forming surface may be a extendable andcontractible mesh screen forming surface.

When the gathered fibrous nonwoven web may also be formed directly on asurface of a nonwoven elastic web the nonwoven elastic web may first beformed by, for example, a melt blowing process or any other process forforming a nonwoven elastic web. For example, the nonwoven elastic webmay be an apertured web of an elastic film as opposed to a melt blownfibrous nonwoven elastic web. The nonwoven elastic web, as formed, has anormal contracted, nonbiased length. Thereafter, the nonwoven elasticweb may be extended by being stretched to an extended, stretched, biasedlength. The detailed of the process may be found in U.S. Pat. No.4,652,467, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference inits entirety.

Another embodiment of a stretchable material may be stretchable nonwovenwebs based on multi-layer blown microfibers, such as those described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,238,733, the contents of which are hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety.

For helping to keep the cargo fresh, breathable materials may be used.Breathable materials that are also moisture impervious may also bedesirable. One example of the material may be a multicomponent filmstructure, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,783, or anon-woven fabric laminate, such as that disclosed in U.S. Patent No.5482765, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference inits entirety.

The porous material of the bag-like enclosure 70 may be impregnated withimpregnated with a water based antimicrobial composition, having atleast one polymeric carrier that may be in the form of an emulsion ordispersion and at least one substantially non-leaching antimicrobialcomponent that is substantially free of environmentally hazardousmaterial, as mentioned above. The porous substrate mayor may not beovercoated or protected with a film layer.

Protective or overcoating may be desirable for bag-like enclosures. Inone embodiment, the bag-like enclosure may include a protective orovercoating layer if it is porous.

The protective or overcoating layer may also be moisture imperviousand/or breathable. Examples of impervious layers may be found in U.S.Pat. No. 7,699,826, as disclosed above, the content of which isincorporated hereby by reference in its entirety. Breathable packagingmaterial, as disclosed above, may be a multicomponent film structure,such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,783, or a non-woven fabriclaminate, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,765, or abreathable film layer as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,432,547, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.Biodegradable, breathable enclosures may also be useful and example isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,910,645, the contents of all of which arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The cargo containers may also include a desiccant to control thehumidity of the interior.

After loading the cargo and the bag-like enclosure 70, the cargo may befurther sealed from the exterior by wrapping, as noted above, withsimilar film material mentioned before, or may also be shrink-wrapped,if desired, to further protect the integrity of the content fromtampering to further facilitate security check, to keep the cargo freshfor cold chain cargos, and/or to minimize tampering or introduction ofany foreign objects after packing. For minimizing tampering, thebag-like material may be made of a material that is not easily tearableor damaged.

It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that thepresent invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential character hereof. The presentdescription is therefore considered in all respects to be illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated bythe appended claims, and all changes that come within the meaning andrange of equivalents thereof are intended to be embraced therein.

1. A climate control cargo container comprising: (a) a load bearingstructure having a first core and a first thermoplastic layersurrounding the first core; and (b) an enclosure having at least asecond core and a second thermoplastic layer surrounding the secondcore; wherein one or both the load bearing structure and the enclosurehave one or more pockets for locating one or more phase change materialscapable of multiple cycles of phase transformation for climate control.2. The cargo container of claim 1, wherein said phase change materialcomprises organic material, inorganic material or combinations thereofhaving a specific heat of at least about 1.5.
 3. The cargo container ofclaim 1, further comprising grooves in the load bearing structure tolocate the enclosure.
 4. The cargo container of claim 1, wherein phasechange material exhibits small volume changes on phase transformationand low vapor pressure changes at operating temperatures.
 5. The cargocontainer of claim 1, wherein said phase change material is contained inat least one thin pouches.
 6. The cargo container of claim 5, whereinsaid thin pouches comprise moisture impermeable film.
 7. The cargocontainer of claim 1, wherein the outside of the cargo container can beexposed to temperatures in a range between: a lower limit ofapproximately −30° C.; and an upper limit of approximately −5° C. whilekeeping the interior of the cargo container in a range between: a lowerlimit of approximately −2° C.; and an upper limit of approximately 10°C.
 8. The cargo container of claim 1, wherein the outside of the cargocontainer can be exposed to temperatures in a range between: a lowerlimit of approximately 30° C.; and an upper limit of approximately 40°C. while keeping the interior of the cargo container in a range between:a lower limit of approximately 20° C.; and an upper limit ofapproximately 25° C.
 9. The cargo container of claim 1 furthercomprising cargo items to be protected from temperature changes, each ofsaid cargo items is contained in its own packaging and in closeproximity with said phase change material.
 10. The cargo container ofclaim 9 further comprising an indicator in close proximity with saidcargo items for indicating the integrity of the cargo items.
 11. Thecargo container of claim 1, further comprising one or more RadioFrequency IDentification (RFID) tags affixed on or embedded in one ormore of the loading bearing structure or enclosure.
 12. The cargocontainer of claim 1, wherein said container comprises exposed surfacesand at least one of said surfaces exhibits an anti-microbial property.13. A cargo container for insulating cargo items comprising: (a) a firststructure having a load bearing portion and at least a first wall, atleast one of the load bearing structure and at least one wall comprisesat least a first core and a first thermoplastic layer surrounding thefirst core; (b) a second structure having a top portion and at least asecond wall, at least one of the top and at least one wall comprises atleast a second core and at least a second thermoplastic layersurrounding the second core; and (c) at least one of the load bearingportion, the first wall, the second wall and the top portion compriseone or more pockets for locating one or more phase change materials toinsulate the cargo items for climate control, said phase change materialis contained inside at least one moisture resistant container; whereinat least one of the load bearing portion, the first wall, the secondwall and the top portion of said container comprises features forlocating said cargo items.
 14. The cargo container of claim 13, whereinthe first and second structure comprises L-shape cross-sectionstructures or clam-shell structures.
 15. The cargo container of claim14, wherein at least one of the first and second thermoplastic layersare sprayed onto one of the first and second core.
 16. The cargocontainer of claim 14, further comprising a desiccant to control thehumidity of the cargo items therein.
 17. The cargo container of claim13, wherein said phase change material container is in close proximitywith one of said cargo items inside its own packaging.
 18. The cargocontainer of claim 17, wherein the packaging is breathable.
 19. Thecargo container of claim 17, wherein the packaging is biodegradable. 20.A cargo container for insulating and transporting and/or storage ofcargo items comprising: (a) a first structure having a load bearingportion and at least a first wall, wherein at least one of said loadbearing portion and said at least one wall comprises at least a firstcore and a first thermoplastic layer surrounding the first core; and (b)a second structure having a top portion and at least a second wall,wherein at least one of the top portion and at least one wall comprisesat least a second core and at least a second thermoplastic layersurrounding the second core; wherein at least one of the load bearingportion, first and second wall and top portion comprises at least onephase change material to insulate the cargo for climate control in acertain temperature range when being shipped and/or stored alternatelyin a cool and a warm climate, said cargo container is adapted fordirectly loading cargo items in a clean room.
 21. The cargo container ofclaim 20, wherein the at least one phase change material is formulatedinto a composite, a mixture or is encapsulated.
 22. The cargo containerof claim 20, wherein the encapsulated phase change material is dispersedwithin at least one of first and second core.
 23. The cargo container ofclaim 20 wherein said phase change material is packaged in a thin,moisture resistant pouch.
 24. The cargo container of claim 21 whereinsaid mixture comprises at least two phase change material havingdifferent thermal properties.
 25. The cargo container of claim 20,wherein said container comprises exposed surfaces and at least one ofsaid surfaces exhibits an anti-microbial property.